CVE-2026-62114: Passster Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-62114 Overview

CVE-2026-62114 is a broken access control vulnerability in the Passster WordPress plugin (also known as Content Protector) affecting versions up to and including 4.3.13. The flaw allows unauthenticated attackers to reach protected functionality over the network without proper authorization checks, resulting in limited disclosure of content the plugin is intended to gate. The weakness is classified under CWE-862: Missing Authorization and requires no user interaction to exploit.

Critical Impact
Unauthenticated network attackers can bypass the plugin's access control layer to read content that Passster is configured to protect, undermining the plugin's core protection guarantee.

Affected Products

Passster WordPress plugin (Content Protector) versions <= 4.3.13
WordPress sites relying on Passster to gate premium or restricted content
Any deployment that has not upgraded to a fixed release published after 4.3.13

Discovery Timeline

2026-09-11 - CVE-2026-62114 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-09-11 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-62114

Vulnerability Analysis

The Passster plugin restricts access to WordPress content behind passwords, CAPTCHAs, or similar gates. In versions up to 4.3.13, one or more request handlers do not enforce authorization before returning protected data. An unauthenticated remote client can therefore invoke the affected path and receive content that should require a valid access token.

The issue is a classic missing authorization defect [CWE-862]. The application performs the intended business function but omits the check that verifies the caller is entitled to perform it. Impact is limited to confidentiality of the gated content; integrity and availability of the WordPress site are not directly affected.

Root Cause

The root cause is the absence of an authorization check in a request handler exposed by the plugin. The code relies on the presence of the front-end gate rather than validating, server-side, that the request carries proof of successful authentication or unlock. This design allows direct requests to bypass the gate entirely.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is remote and unauthenticated. An attacker sends a crafted HTTP request to the vulnerable endpoint exposed by the plugin on a target WordPress site. No credentials, no session, and no user interaction are required. Successful requests return content that Passster is configured to protect. Refer to the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory for advisory-level detail.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available for CVE-2026-62114, so a prose description is used in place of a synthetic example.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-62114

Indicators of Compromise

Unauthenticated HTTP requests to Passster plugin endpoints under /wp-content/plugins/content-protector/ or Passster AJAX actions in admin-ajax.php.
Web server access logs showing successful 200 responses to plugin endpoints from clients that never submitted the unlock form.
Repeated requests from a single source IP enumerating protected post IDs or slugs.

Detection Strategies

Correlate WordPress request logs with Passster unlock events to flag content deliveries that lack a preceding unlock action.
Alert on direct requests to plugin AJAX or REST routes from user agents that have not loaded the corresponding gated page.
Baseline expected access patterns per protected URL and alert on anomalous unauthenticated retrievals.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable verbose access logging on the web server or reverse proxy fronting WordPress.
Forward WordPress and web server logs to a centralized analytics platform for retention and query.
Monitor for scanner signatures targeting the Passster or Content Protector plugin paths.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-62114

Immediate Actions Required

Inventory WordPress sites that have Passster or Content Protector installed and record installed versions.
Upgrade any instance running 4.3.13 or earlier to the vendor-provided fixed release.
If an immediate upgrade is not possible, restrict access to the affected endpoints at the web server or WAF layer.
Review access logs for suspicious unauthenticated access to gated content since the plugin was installed.

Patch Information

The vendor fix is tracked in the Patchstack WordPress Vulnerability Advisory. Administrators should install the first Passster release published after 4.3.13 and verify the plugin version reported in the WordPress admin dashboard.

Workarounds

Deploy a Web Application Firewall rule that blocks unauthenticated requests to Passster plugin endpoints.
Temporarily deactivate the Passster plugin on sites where gated content is business-critical and no patch has been applied.
Serve protected content through an alternative authentication mechanism until the plugin is updated.

bash

# Example WAF rule (ModSecurity syntax) to block direct unauthenticated access
# to Passster plugin endpoints. Adjust paths to match your deployment.
SecRule REQUEST_URI "@rx /wp-content/plugins/content-protector/" \
    "id:1026062114,\
     phase:1,\
     deny,\
     status:403,\
     log,\
     msg:'CVE-2026-62114 Passster direct plugin access blocked'"